The first is high-fat, the second is high-protein.
Banting – a high-fat diet – has received a lot of attention recently, but high-protein diets have remained in the shadows.
Is a high-protein diet for you? Here are some things to consider.
1. What foods do you enjoy?
High-protein diets often have you eating a lot of meat, chicken, eggs, dairy, nuts and beans.
They often restrict carbohydrate-rich foods like grains, rice, pasta, baked goods, potatoes and some vegetables. If you like the idea of that, then read on.
2. There’s a lot of variety in protein
Most people who think of high-protein diets imagine bland chicken breasts at every meal. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
You can have beef, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and protein shakes to get your protein in. That’s a HUGE variety of foods, and if you’re creative it should take a very long time to get bored.
Most people who think of high-protein diets imagine bland chicken breasts at every meal. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
You can have beef, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and protein shakes to get your protein in. That’s a HUGE variety of foods, and if you’re creative it should take a very long time to get bored.
3. How do these diets work?
By eating high protein and very low carbohydrate you lose water initially and then begin to burn stored fat as energy.
If your carbohydrate intake is low enough you can reach a state called ‘ketosis’ which makes you feel less hungry, but can also cause headaches, bad breath and irritability in some people.
By eating high protein and very low carbohydrate you lose water initially and then begin to burn stored fat as energy.
If your carbohydrate intake is low enough you can reach a state called ‘ketosis’ which makes you feel less hungry, but can also cause headaches, bad breath and irritability in some people.
4. Balance is achievable
One of the best things about a high-protein diet is that if you choose the right one you can eat some crucial carbs too.
It will be less than you are used to, but you needn’t exclude them totally. Some programmes allow you some carbs on days when you train in the gym, for instance. In my opinion, this ensures that you still get the key nutrients and vitamins available in carbs, and makes for a more balanced approach and long-term lifestyle solution than excluding all carbs completely!
One of the best things about a high-protein diet is that if you choose the right one you can eat some crucial carbs too.
It will be less than you are used to, but you needn’t exclude them totally. Some programmes allow you some carbs on days when you train in the gym, for instance. In my opinion, this ensures that you still get the key nutrients and vitamins available in carbs, and makes for a more balanced approach and long-term lifestyle solution than excluding all carbs completely!
